Yonkers' Will library to get facelift

Edward Falcone, the director of the Yonkers Public Library, talks about the changes coming to the library on Central Park Avenue in the city.
Mark Vergari/lohud

The exterior changes include swapping single-pane windows for double panes, which will reduce the intrusions of noise and cold. The concrete wall panels will be replaced on all sides with terracotta.

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The Will Library sign destroyed April 6, 2017, when a car crashed into it. A $4.2 million makeover for the Yonkers Public Library's Will branch will eliminate the multicolored panels on its facade.(Photo11: Mark Vergari/The Journal News)Buy Photo

YONKERS - A $4.2 million makeover for the Yonkers Public Library's Will branch will eliminate the multicolored panels on its facade and warm up the main reading room.

The library's trustees expect to open contractors' bids this month on the $1.8 million first phase of the renovation, which will address the rusting, crumbling front window panels that make the library one of Central Park Avenue's most distinctive landmarks.

"Every exterior part of the building except for the roof is going to be changed under this plan," said library director Edward Falcone. "The building will be insulated for the first time. There is not a lick of insulation in that building, which is unfortunate. It's not something they did 50 years ago."

The exterior changes include swapping the single-pane windows for double panes, which will reduce the intrusions of outside noise and freezing temperatures. The library's concrete panels will be replaced on all sides with a terracotta material that has a similar appearance.

Library officials began thinking about renovations because the concrete panels on the Will library's exterior started curling away from the building 20 to 30 years ago and they present a future safety threat.

The library, formally known as the Grinton I. Will Branch, opened in November 1962 and was designed in the mid-century modern style by architect Eli Rabineau, who was active in Westchester County from 1946 until 1970. Rabineau, who died in 1991, designed many local public buildings and Jewish centers, including Bet Torah in Mount Kisco and Montessori School 27 in Yonkers.

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The Will Library sign destroyed April 6, 2017, when a car crashed into it. A $4.2 million makeover for the Yonkers Public Library's Will branch will eliminate the multicolored panels on its facade. Mark Vergari/The Journal News

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The first phase of the work is expected to begin in the late spring or early summer and it will focus on the front of the building and part of the southern side where the children's library is located. Library officials expect phase two after the city borrows $2.4 million in July to complete the back and north sides of the building.

No interior renovations are planned, unless there is money left over from the exterior work.

Falcone said library officials encountered little public resistance to the idea of changing the Will library's appearance at public meetings, though he said the library board was very concerned about the change.

"It turns out that the panels were originally designed as a sun-screening device," said Falcone, noting that the library's renovation architect determined the panels were ineffective as sun screens. "They let the wrong kind of sunlight in and the block a lot of the good sunlight."

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Clerk Betsy Sodano checks in materials that were left in the overnight bin at the Yonkers Public Library's Will branch.(Photo11: Mark Vergari/The Journal News)

The sun-screening replacements will be stainless steel screens that will sit perpendicular to the windows and extend from the roof to the ground. They are designed to block the day's most destructive direct sunlight while allowing ambient light to enter the building.

The steel screens will also have colored metal pieces clipped on to them that resemble the colors of the original panels.

"We actually met with the state historic preservation office and worked with them to make sure that the design would reference the original design and colors," said Susan Thaler, the library's deputy director.

There are other changes in store for the Will library, including a new boiler that is not part of the remodeling project. A survey last year of the Yonkers Public Library's patrons revealed that some patrons want a cafe, so library officials will consider self-service beverage stations or vending machines at the Will and Riverfront branches.

Library officials are also considering creating new, smaller meeting rooms for community and study groups at the Will branch.

On a recent weekday, patrons waiting outside for the doors to open said that they were happy with the Will library.